Growing into Leadership (1)

Daily Devotions

October 23, 2012

“We are labourers together.” 1Co 3:9
Growing into Leadership (1)
A cartoon shows an executive sitting forlornly behind a big desk. Standing meekly on the other side of the desk is a man dressed in work clothes who says, “If it’s any comfort to you, it’s lonely at the bottom too.” The truth is, you’ll meet lonely people at the top, on the bottom, and in the middle. Loneliness is not a positional problem, it’s a relational one. The Bible says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly” (Pr 18:24 NKJV). The saying, “It’s lonely at the top,” was never made by a great leader. Stop for a moment and think about that. If you’re all alone, nobody is following you. And if nobody is following you, you’re not really leading. What kind of leader would leave everyone behind? An ineffective one. An insecure one. A dysfunctional one. Effective leadership is about lifting people, not elevating yourself. And to lift people you must get close to them. As a leader you must always remember these three things: (1) To have credibility, you must make it to the top. Many folks are willing to give you advice on things they have never experienced, but credibility comes from paying the price to achieve personal success. (2) To have respect, you must acknowledge that you didn’t get to the top by yourself. Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest because he had the right team. You need one too. (3) To have fulfillment, you must take others to the top with you. “We are labourers together.” True success is shared success, and it only happens when you’re willing to invest in the lives of others.